How Much Do You Really Know About Italian Food?

Everyone has an idea about what Italian cuisine is. But like the United States, Italy has distinct regions, each with its own signature recipes, techniques, and ingredients. Think you know your caprese from your carbonara? It's time to find out.

2. Developed by Neapolitan pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito in 1889, a classic pizza Margherita must contain which three ingredients?

3. According to Micol Negrin, Italian food expert and author of Rustico: Regional Italian Country Cooking, this region, often referred to as the toe of Italy, has been influenced by Arab and Albanian cooking, resulting in characteristic dishes laced with chiles and sweet-and-sour notes.

A) CampaniaB) CalabriaC) SicilyD) Sardinia

4. Porchetta, a classic, Roman roasted pork dish, is said to have been a favorite of which Italian political figure?

5. Which region is hailed as “Italy’s Food Basket?”

6. La Panarda, an annual feast in the region of Abruzzo, is said to have been first celebrated as a thanksgiving to St. Anthony Abate for what act of kindness?

A) Saving a village woman’s baby from the mouth of a hungry wolfB) Saving the town of Villavallelonga from a devastating floodC) Sending a bountiful harvest after a three-year droughtD) Saving a fleet of fishermen during a sudden Mediterranean storm

7. The earliest indication of spaghetti’s supposed origins is found in:

A) Reports from Marco Polo’s Chinese expeditionsB) An African explorer’s journalC) A sonnet by Italian Renaissance poet PetrarchD) A letter from a Sicilian war general, detailing his company’s dwindling rations

8. Which traditional Italian dish is made from a New World crop that wasn't introduced to Italy until the 15th or 16th century?

A) RisottoB) FarinaC) PolentaD) Gnocchi

9. This region is Italy’s greatest producer of olive oil.

A) LazioB) LombardyC) VenetoD) Puglia

10. In Italy, if you order spaghetti marinara, you’ll be confronted with:

A) Confused staresB) Gales of laughterC) A plate of noodles tossed with random assorted seafoodD) All of the above

101 Italian Recipes to Make for Dinner Tonight

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Pasta with 10-Minute Pesto

Blanching fresh basil leaves before blending is the key to this vibrant, ultra-herby pesto. Perfect for pasta, it also dresses up pizza, scrambled eggs, and more.

7: B) An African explorer’s journal. Muhammad al-Idrisi, a globe-trotting geographer, includes a survey of Sicily in his Tabula Rogerina—written at least 100 years before Marco Polo supposedly learned about noodles from the Chinese—in which he describes long strands of dough (i.e. pasta noodles) being made from hard wheat.

8: C) Polenta. Before European conquerors brought corn back from the New World, a porridge similar to polenta made with farro, millet, buckwheat, spelt, or even chickpeas was served throughout Northern Italy.

10: D) Although the correct phrasing would be spaghetti alla marinara, you’re still not likely to find the dish on any Italian menus. Pizza alla marinara, however, is a basic style of pizza found on many street corners in Italy. Topped with a sauce made with tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and olive oil, this pizza is likely the origin of the signature Italian-American tomato sauce's name. Want pasta with tomato sauce? Ask for pasta al pomodoro instead.